BY Advocate.com Editors

March 27 2001 1:00 AM ET

5436Entertainment News2001-03-27

Before Night Falls, Chuck & Buck score at Spirit Awards

The Independent Feature Project/West held its 16th annual Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, honoring a broad cross section of independent films from around the world. Javier Bardem was honored as Best Male Lead for his acclaimed performance as gay Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls, and the quirky gay stalker comedy Chuck & Buck won Best Feature Under $500,000. (Accepting the award, writer-star Mike White joked that a stranger had recently walked up to him on the street and told him that Chuck & Buck was the worst movie Ive ever seen. Now that he had the award, quipped White, I can say, Well, maybe not the worst. ) Documentary filmmakers David Shapiro and Laurie Gwen Shapiro won the DirectTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction award for Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale, which told of the exploits of gay explorer Tobias Schneebaum, who turned 80 the day of the awards ceremony. Winners at the 16th annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards include: